A roundup of progressive news...

1.IMPERIAL MEASURES-Confected Culture Wars & National Identity-Byline Times

A piece by Sam Bright for Byline Times looks at how the right has pushed a confected culture war as a means of shoring up support and to act ‘as a replacement for Brexit, which previously acted as a motivating, cohering force for social conservatives’.

The article takes a look at the cause of plummeting ratings for the likes of GB News and Piers Morgan on Talk TV and how ministers have been forced to admit that there haven’t really been the perceived acts of censorship on university campuses as they have made out.

Bright adds: “The culture warriors have therefore reached for ideological weapons that can preserve the pro-Brexit coalition, seeing the political and financial threat of a country beginning to shed its Leave-Remain tribalism.”

An interesting all round piece on why it’s in the vested interests of some to push a culture war.

2. To ‘level up’, the UK needs a real jubilee: a mass write-off of debts-openDemocracy

The biblical ‘jubilee’ was the blast of a trumpet, every 50 years, that heralded the write-off of everyone’s debts, writes Caroline Molloy, for openDemocracy, so why not write off the £16bn of debt the poor owe the government to mark the jubilee?

‘The most distressing debts of all’, writes Caroline, according to Christians Against Poverty (CAP), are ‘those owed to the government, for things like council tax arrears, benefit advances and sanctions and tax credit overpayments – many of them very old. The charity found 93% of its clients with these kinds of debts had sleepless nights, 74% were scared to open the door, and 49% were scared to leave the house’.

The amount owed in such debts has climbed steadily in the decade since the financial crisis – reaching more than £16bn, according to a 2020 parliamentary report.

If we really want to come together to celebrate, shouldn’t we cancel the debts owed by the very poorest?

3. ‘The Mask Slipped’: HSBC Criticised For Suspending Exec While Still Pumping Billions into Fossil Fuels-DeSmog

DeSmog features a piece on how accusations of double standards have been levelled at HSBC after the bank suspended an executive who said investors “need not worry” about climate change, while continuing to plough billions of pounds into fossil fuels.

Adam Barnett reports that while the bank suspended its head of responsible investing at its asset management division after he gave a speech saying climate risks were exaggerated, HSBC has still financed £103 billion in fossil fuels since the Paris Agreement was ratified in 2016, including £43.8 billion in fossil fuel expansion, according to analysis by BankTrack.

‘This is second only to Barclays, which has financed £133 billion over the same period, and is considerably higher than Lloyds, Natwest and Standard Chartered.’

4. Winning Westminster was a historic turning of the tide. Here’s how we did it-LabourList

An opinion piece by Labour councillors Ryan Jude & Ellie Ormsby looks at how Labour managed to win Westminster from the Tories in the recent local elections.

They write: “At the heart of a smoothly organised campaign we had a keen focus on local issues, enthusiastic candidates and activists and an ambitious vision for a fairer borough.”

The piece also praises the Labour Party for offering ‘the most diverse slate of candidates in memory, with the resulting elected Labour members being 50% women, over 30% from ethnic minority backgrounds, and all age groups represented. A group that truly represents Westminster’s diverse community’.

The councillors also highlight how they set out a fairer vision for Westminster in their manifestos.

‘A council that properly consults and engages with residents on decisions, that embeds climate action in everything it does, builds truly affordable housing for the community, provides opportunities for young people and keeps the area safe. All while freezing council tax to help with the rising cost of living, and spending residents’ money more efficiently’.

5. Nurse staffing levels can only be improved with above-inflation pay rise-Morning Star

The Morning Star features a piece on how ministers can only improve nurse staffing levels by giving them an above-inflation pay rise.

It comes ahead of an announcement by the government on the next round of NHS pay awards.

Nurses’ union RCN general secretary Pat Cullen told the RCN annual congress in Glasgow that nurses are fearful of how they make ends meet amid the growing cost-of-living crisis.

“When ministers make their announcements this summer, anything below the current level of inflation is another pay cut,” Ms Cullen said.

“If they want to stand a chance of improving staffing levels and rewarding nursing skill, the award needs to not just match inflation but go 5 per cent above it.”

Basit Mahmood is editor of Left Foot Forward

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